Release Day Promo, Reveiw & Giveaway... Z. Elizabeth's The Deal

Thanks to their fathers' feud, Nicole and Craig have been enemies since the moment they were born. But six years ago they fell in love... They just never told each other.

Motivated by their grandparents' money, they agree to a simple deal: Stay married for a year and unravel the secrets and lies surrounding their fathers. Bound together, they must figure out why the two former best friends have spent the last thirty years ignoring one another and prohibited any contact between Nicole and Craig.

Craig is more than happy to uncover their fathers' past if it means he gets Nicole for real.

Nicole wants to keep the past exactly where it is and she will fight Craig every step of the way.

With only limited time together, delving into their family history could be the mistake that will break both their hearts.

What happens when secrets and lies are revealed? Can Nicole and Craig live their Happily Ever After after waiting six long years to be together? Or will one secret be enough to break them apart, just like their fathers?

I turn back to the waves, pick up my bag and grab my phone. John looks over my shoulder, wondering just what I am doing but I sit closer to him and lean in so my cheek is next to his. This feels totally weird but I am going to document this moment and remind him that I gained his trust, albeit, a little too fast, but we are now Father and Daughter-in-law and we haven’t had a picture together yet.

“Um, Nic, just what the hell are you doing?” John asks but I reply with my arm around his shoulder and my arm stretched upwards with my phone. I smile into it, catching John's expression. A mix of confusion, amusement and disbelief at what I am doing.

“Taking our first Father-in-law/Daughter-in-law photo, now smile, John!” I demand, smiling into the camera. John follows suit and I snap the image. I bring the phone so both of us can see the picture and I laugh. He certainly looks like an older version of Craig and he really is a DILF. I know for a fact when Craig and I have kids he is going to be the yummiest DILF imaginable and I cannot wait!

“Well, Papa Thomas, that is your birthday present sorted.” I giggle, locking the phone and throwing it to the bottom of my bag. John shakes his head and stares back out to the ocean.

“You know, Nic, I had you down all wrong. I thought you were a spoilt little girl who was exactly like her mother, but you are nothing like her. You're like your father; strong, determined, and loyal. I'm so lucky that in some backarse way you and Craig found each other and I'm proud to call you my Daughter-in-law.” John admits and I look to him, tears filling my eyes. It's hard to swallow but I push the lump down. I lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck, wanting a hug. John's arms wrap around my back and he laughs at my emotions, rubbing my back as I sniff the tears back.

“You have no idea how much that means, DILF.” I murmur, drawing back from him. I smile widely at him and gather up my belongings, ready to leave and dart to Kelsie's to pick up my suitcase. “I'll see you around, Papa Thomas. Don't be a stranger now we are BFF's” And with a wink I begin to walk away from him.

“What's a DILF?” He shouts after me and I let out a hearty laugh. I turn around and begin to walk backwards.

“Google it.”

*Emmy’s Review *

We need to thank Between the Sheets Promotions for providing an ARC of the Deal in exchange for an honest review.Craig Thomas and Nicole Jones are bound together in more ways than one. Their fathers were once the best of friends, until something happened between them to turn them into enemies. What, exactly, is a mystery that goes back years before Craig and Nicole were born. Like the Hatfields and McCoys, the children were raised to hate each other. As children, they obeyed their parents, disliking each other on mere principal. They attended school together, and as they matured Nicole maintained her public dislike of Craig. Craig enjoyed teasing her, arrogantly making her speak to him even though he knew she had no use for him. Little did he know, Nicole had fallen in love with him years before, and hid it, knowing that her parents would have hit the roof, and certain that Craig himself had no feeling for her but contempt and a mean spirited love of getting under her skin. That might have been the end of it, until one day they are forced together by fate, and their deceased grandparents. They both receive a call to meet at a lawyer’s office, where they are told that they have a large inheritance coming their way, but only if certain conditions are met.

Despite the mysterious feud between their fathers, Nicole and Craig’s grandparents remained the best of friends. The condition that they set on their grandchildren’s inheritance was this: That they marry, and remain so for one year. Only then can they access the fortune waiting for them. They agree to marry, thinking that they can tough out one year and go their separate ways. They agree to maintain the facade of being in love to their friends, but intend to live just as roommates for the year.

Craig’s dad John and Nicole’s mom Kerry are the most vocal against the marriage, but the prospect of the money motivates them to live with it; after all, it’s Nicole and Craig’s money, and their decision to go through with the marriage. They marry in the first chapter, and it’s Nicole’s head that we live in for the better part of the book. Despite the fact that she loves Craig, she is determined to keep her distance from him. Craig comes off as a bit of an arrogant jerk at first, teasing her about taking his last name, about if he can “shag around” on her since their marriage is in name only. He gets off on making her react to him, and if he doesn’t already know that she’s in love with him I would be surprised. He is in love with her as well, having fallen for her years before as well. He just hides it better, and secretly goes into the marriage not for the money, but for the chance to be with Nicole, even if it is only for a year. Nicole tells herself that she only wants the money to open her own marketing firm, but her reasons for going through with it are pretty much the same as his.

Six weeks into their “fake” marriage they have given in, and are sleeping together. They find out that the bedroom is the one place that they no problems with each other. I wasn’t really surprised that they started sleeping together, given that they are maintaining the illusion of being newlyweds to everyone but their parents. What was surprising was the affection that Craig shows towards Nicole, because at this point we have not been told other than in the teaser that he has any feelings for her at all. At this point I liked the story so far, but was wishing for some backstory - I wanted to know why Nicole fell in love with Craig.

It was indirectly implied in the deal for the money that Nicole and Craig’s grandparents wanted them to find out the secret that has torn their families apart for so long. Nicole is content to just let it lay, having questioned her own parents as a teenager. She was smacked down every time she asked, mostly by her mother, and berated and guilted into never asking again. Everytime Craig mentions trying to find out what happened she blows him off. Craig is undeterred, and tired of his dad giving him hell about marrying Nicole, even if it was for the money. He outright asks his dad what happened, then rides over to talk to Nicole’s dad. I’m curious about it myself at this point, and having read a scene or two with Nicole’s mom Kerry, am not surprised to find out that the bustup of the friendship had something to do with her. I wondered if maybe Craig’s mom (who died years before this story started) and Nicole’s dad maybe had an affair, given the violent hate that Kerry has for Craig and John has for Nicole. We aren’t told the secret at this point. Nicole and Craig continue on in their “marriage” slowly becoming more and more attached to each other, the physicality morphing into true affection. They decide to spend Christmas together as a real couple, with their group of friends. They finally tell their parents that if they want to see them they will have to stop acting like children, and get along just for one day. They seemed to be coming together as a unit, realizing that they are stronger together than apart.

Then one day John calls the apartment for Craig and lets slip to Nicole that Craig knows what happened between their fathers. Nicole hits the roof, and leaves Craig to stay at her best friend Kelsie’s apartment. Craig is devastated, obviously in love with her. They speak on the phone and apologize to each other, but Nicole remains at Kelsie’s for the moment. Nicole finally confronts her parents about the secret, saying that if they will not tell her then she will go to John. Her mother goes completely nuclear, which only made me think that she had the most to hide. Her dad, Peter, escapes the house with the two girls with his wife’s voice ringing in his ears that if he tells the secret to not come back! Peter, Nicole and Kelsie go back to Nicole and Craig’s apartment. Nicole and Craig reunite, happy to see each other. Peter fills them in, revealing the big secret.

And nope, I’m not going to tell you what it is - only that I had it wrong. My other theory was that the two fathers were having an affair at some point….which would have been interesting, I think, but is not the case. It was good to see Nicole grow a backbone towards the end of this novel, and finally stand up to her mom. Kerry…...man, what a bitch. **shakes my head** But the real question that I’m sure you want to know is do Nicole and Craig stay together at the end of the book? Read it and see. **smiles**

*Review End*

*About The Author*

Z. Elizabeth is a debut author who grew up in Wales, UK and wishes she knew how to speak fluent Welsh. Bore da (Good morning), Wedi Bleno (tired) and Ydw (yes) just don't cut it.

Reading has always been a part of her life since she was a young kid and writing came quickly after she discovered her love for studying English Language and writing fiction. Since graduating with a degree in BA Journalism, writing is embedded into her everyday working and personal life. At 15, she finished a full length novel and thought nothing of it until now. The Deal is loosely based upon that story and it's one that she is hugely proud of writing and re-writing and re-writing…

When she isn't slaving away at her day job, you can find her daydreaming about her book boyfriends, reading the next hot book out or binge eating with her friends, continually shocking them with the filth that flies out of her mouth. Z. Elizabeth hopes that her characters end up on your book boyfriend/girlfriend lists and her book ends up on your favourite list, maybe even your bookshelf.

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